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LABA/ Malta Supreme Christmas basketball…Crucial penultimate matches on tomorrow at Linden
Unbeaten Kings face dangerous Jets, Raiders, Pistons fight for survival
Two crucial penultimate matches in the Linden Amateur Basketball Association’s Malta Supreme Magnificent Seven Christmas basketball championship will be played tomorrow, Boxing Day, at the Mackenzie Sports Club Hard Court when the Kashif and Shanghai Kings place their unbeaten record against the Amelia’s Ward Jets in the second game of a double header
Shane Webster
feature at 9:00pm; while in the first game at 7:00pm an interesting matchup is anticipated as the Retrieve Raiders and Wismar Pistons seek to enhance their hopes to qualify for the play offs.
The Kings are leading the points standings in the preliminary round of this championship which has a top prize of $150,000 among other things, with eight points from four wins with two games remaining and will qualify for the playoffs. But the battle remains open with at least five other teams in with a chance to make it through to grab the three slots left available.
Jets need to win to increase their chances of making it through safely, while a loss would put them at a serious disadvantage.
Their main players will be guards and Captain Kevin ‘Two Feet’ Joseph who will direct play from the top along with young Leonard Caleb, Ruel McKinnon and the experienced Neil Simon. Their inside game is where they are very strong with the Webster brothers national centre Shane, Allister and Domain looking to dominate. However, they have shown cracks inside and lost to Bulls who finished the preliminary round on a leading points’ tally of ten.
However, without power forward Lawrence DaCosta, who is on suspension, they are weakened somewhat. DaCosta along with the Websters would have tilted the balance in the paint in their favour. With the return of Jason Alonzo in the middle, the former national centre remains a force of one who could take up space and create problems for any of the Websters in the paint. With him would be power forward Omally Sampson, who has been in fine touch, and Dale Williamson will see the Jets have their work cut out.
In the front court the Kings should even up having the likes of national captain Steve Neils (Jr.) and former junior national captain Marvin Hartman steadying things up along with the out-of-form Orin Rose who can explode anytime, the Kings would be hard to beat.
In fact, before Alonzo had returned for the last Kings game, they had already shown quality in their game that made them look almost invincible. Of consideration, however, would be that the Jets have beaten them in recent clashes.
The first game is also going to be key to the teams who are fighting to stay alive in this championship and neither can afford a loss. The Pistons are returning to competitive basketball but have found the going tough having lost three of four games and are on five points. Their main players have returned in the experienced guard Nevin Greenville and forwards Quincy Jones and Trevor Profitt, who were vital cogs within the Pistons, who became the first Linden club to be crowned national championships a few years ago.
Having lost that title they now face a tough assignment to survive this game and reach the final four. Their opponents have not played like the team that won all their matches in the last BOSAI Open Challenge tournament before falling in the final against Bulls.
This Raiders team on the other hand has lost some of the crisp plays which they were capable of and now have two wins and two losses going into this match. Having to do without power forward Dwayne ‘Brown Sugar’ Roberts still on suspension, they look suspect indeed but with national player Neil Marks leading them they have a good chance of getting past this Pistons lineup.
Steve Neils Jr.
This Raiders team will parade a group of promising players which include forwards Alexander Rose, Dwight McKinnon, Louis James and former junior national Geoffrey LaRose and guards Sheldon Noel and Anson Durant among others. Should they get their act together the Raiders may rebound to contest a place in the final four showing their true potential.
After tomorrow’s matches the final set of preliminary games will be played on Friday with another double header where rescheduled matches from Sunday between Wismar Pistons and Kings and the other will see Retrieve Raiders and Jets in action.
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